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District 41 adopts personal‑device policy: devices to be powered off and kept out of sight during school hours
Summary
Superintendent Doctor McHugh announced a new district policy requiring personal devices, including cell phones and smartwatches, to be powered off and kept in backpacks between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The board discussed enforcement and expectations for principals and teachers to implement the policy.
District 41 announced a new personal device policy that requires students to power off and keep personal devices, including cell phones, smartwatches and wireless earbuds, out of sight in backpacks during school hours from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Superintendent Doctor McHugh said the policy grew out of community engagement and a book study of The Anxious Generation; the district also drew on data from the Five Essentials survey to shape related strategic‑plan metrics. The superintendent told parents to either not send devices with students or to prepare them to keep devices powered off in backpacks; administrators said enforcement will be school‑based and that principals and assistant principals will support teachers in holding a consistent standard across classrooms.
Board members asked about enforcement and exceptions. Doctor McHugh said the administration expects consistent enforcement by teachers and administrators and that “if we see a watch, it will go right down the enforcement policy for that” and that the policy covers smartwatches but does not ban traditional, non‑connected timepieces. The policy allows use outside school hours to enable before‑ and after‑school communication related to extracurricular activities.
Discussion versus action: the policy and its enforcement were presented as part of the superintendent’s report; no separate board ordinance or amendment was adopted at the meeting.
